Kirsten Blair, soprano, enjoys a vibrant musical lifestyle as a soloist, performer, private teacher, and classroom instructor. Kirsten appears frequently in solo and collaborative recital, having performed at Arizona State University, the Eastman School of Music in New York, San Francisco Conservatory, Loyola University in Louisiana, Athens, Greece, East London, White River and Nelspruit, South Africa, and in her home states of Maine and Alaska. She has shared the orchestral stage as a soloist, with ensembles such as the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, the Northern Lights String Orchestra, the Uplands Festival Orchestra in South Africa, the American Institute of Musical Studies: Graz Festival Orchestra, the Arizona State University Orchestra, the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, and most recently with the Varna International Muzika! Academy Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Gregory Buchalter of the Metropolitan Opera.
Kirsten has performed as a featured soloist with the Arizona Women’s Collaborative, the UAF New Music Festival, the Vianden Festival in Luxembourg, and two consecutive sessions in Zimbabwe for Music Inspire Africa. She has played several principal roles with Opera Fairbanks, Anchorage Opera, University of Alaska Fairbanks Opera Workshop, and internationally with Théâtre Roger Barat in France and the Lowveld Chamber Music Association in South Africa. Selected roles include Rose (Weill’s “Street Scene”), Lucy (Menotti's “The Telephone”), Frasquita (“Carmen”), and Roxy LaRue in the World Premiere of “The Color of Gold.”
Kirsten completed her Graduate Teaching Assistantship at the University of Alaska Fairbanks under the artistry of Dr. Jaunelle Celaire and joined their faculty as an adjunct professor for private and class voice, ear-training, and music appreciation. After completing her 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in Bali, Indonesia, Kirsten returned to campus in pursuit of a D.M.A. in Applied Voice at Arizona State University as a student of Dr. Stephanie Weiss. While in Arizona, she completed a second Graduate Assistantship teaching private and class voice, served as the ASU Community Music School Voice Instructor, and was a recipient of the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) Teaching Excellence Award in 2020. A passionate teacher and coach, she maintains a virtual and in-person studio, and enjoys working with singers in group and workshop environments. Kirsten is currently serving her community as the Board President of Fairbanks Light Opera Theatre, Director of the Great Land Sounds Barbershop Chorus, and Outreach Coordinator for the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival.
